Foldable chair frame

ABSTRACT

The present invention is to a type of folding chair, wherein two front and rear support bars, the upper ends of which are hinged onto two diagonal bars; the front and rear support bars connect at the point of a slide housing, which results in the formation of an operational hinged structure. The two front support bars are constructed independently and are reinforced with a horizontal bar assembly on both sides that attaches near the slide housing hinged areas of the front support bars on the upper ends. This structure serves to reinforce the slide housing hinged area and when the two front support bars are fixed firmly to the floor, the chair will not tip over and the user will be able to sit more safely.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention is to the field of furniture and consists of a foldablechair frame. It is particularly designed to accommodate the use of aseating material made with Oxford cloth or flexible woven cloth.

Technical Background

Existing folding round chairs, perhaps more commonly known as crescentseats or radar seats, are manufactured with soft fabric and bars. Thechair cushion area is round when viewed from the front, and the chairtilts forward to form a radar-like shape (“satellite dish”). From theside, the chair also seems to have the shape of a half-moon, which iswhy it is sometimes called a crescent seat. Its simple structure andunique look gave rise to its huge popularity. As shown FIG. 1, itsstructure includes a round seat hoop (1), a fabric seat (2) that isfitted over the seat hoop (20), and the front/rear support bars (3 & 4)that support the seat hoop (1) on both sides. The front/rear supportbars (3 & 4) cross each other, and the top part of each bar hinges ontothe seat hoop (1). The hinge on the front support bar (3) has a slidehousing (5); the rear support bar (4) passes through the slide housing(5), thus forming a movable hinged structure between the front/rearsupport bars (3 & 4). For that purpose, the rear support bar (4) has aslide stop (6), so that the slide housing (5) is supported when theround chair is unfolded to the open position, and assists in holding theweight load in a stable manner. As currently designed, both sides of thefront and rear support bars (3 & 4) are composed of one rod curved intoor formed in a U-shaped rod, which forms a reinforcing symmetricstructure that is both tidy and aesthetically pleasing. However, thepoint at which the front support bars in prior art chairs connect to theslide housing hinged section is fairly weak, consequently, thespecifications of the front and rear support bars need to be muchlarger. Furthermore, the two corners of the U-shaped bar are rounded,and these rounded corners make the folding chair unstable and easy totip over on both sides, so it is not very safe. Determining how toimprove upon the inefficiencies of the current chair is a focus of thisresearch and invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of this invention is to design a type of foldable chair frameutilizing two front support bars connected by an independent horizontalbar assembly.

The technical plan of this invention is accomplished in part by thefollowing:

A type of foldable chair frame, including the following:

-   -   Two symmetrical or corresponding front and rear support bars,        the upper ends of which are hinged onto two diagonal bars;    -   The aforementioned front support bar hinge has a slide housing;    -   The aforementioned rear support bar passes through this slide        housing, thereby creating an operational hinge comprising both        the front and rear support bars;    -   A slide stop is fastened onto the upper portion of the rear        support bar, whereby when the chair is unfolded into the open        position, the slide housing compresses against the slide stop;

The invention may have one or more of the following special features:

-   -   The front support bars on both sides of the frame are        independent bars;    -   Each front support bar is hinged with a slide housing on the        upper ends, and the horizontal bar assembly is positioned to        strengthen the support bars on both sides.

The aforementioned diagonal bars connecting the front support bars onboth sides are constructed in the following manner:

-   -   1. The horizontal bar assembly includes a short U-shaped bar and        a curved section that connects to the two ends of the short        U-shaped bar. This is affixed firmly to the front support bars        and is secured firmly to the structure with rivets;    -   2. The horizontal bar assembly also consists of the main        horizontal bar and a protective sheath with the vertical convex        portion of the sheath being fitted with a bar casing.

The protective sheath is positioned on the front support bars, and eachend of the horizontal bars is inserted into the bar casings of thesheaths on each side, thus forming a connected structure.

The two curved sections of the aforementioned short U-shaped bars affixclosely to the front or inner sides of the front support bars on bothsides and are riveted together.

The aforementioned rear support bars are constructed in the followingmanner:

-   -   1. By one single bar curved into a U-shaped bar;    -   2. By independent bars that are formed by soldering two ends of        a single bar to the rear support bars, thereby connecting into        an integrated structure;    -   3. By independent bars that are formed by riveting the two        curved sections of the short U-shaped bars to the support bars,        thereby connecting into an integrated structure.

The aforementioned diagonal bars are positioned together at an angle ofapproximately 30-45 degrees; each of these diagonal bars are rivetedonto the seat hoop, onto which the seat fabric is attached.

The aforementioned chair hoop can either be a closed structure or anopen structure that breaks near the hinged areas of the diagonal bars.The chair hoop can be constructed in a shape selected from the followingshapes: circle, oval, rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon,trapezoid, gourd, and oblong shapes.

The diagonal bars are constructed in a wave form shape that starts lowin the front and rises to the rear. The diagonal bars are then rivetedonto the chair hoop, with the wave-shaped portion serving as an armrest.

The front portion of the aforementioned chair hoop breaks/opens near thehinged areas of the diagonal bars, forming an open structure. The chairhoop can be constructed in a shape selected from the following shapes:circle, oval, rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon,trapezoid, gourd, and oblong shapes.

For this invention, the front support bars on both sides are independentbars, which are connected into one structure by means of a horizontalbar assembly. The horizontal bar assembly is positioned at the hingedintersection point of the front and rear support bars. Firstly, thisreinforces the slide housing hinged area on the front support bars, andalso prevents deformation from an inward pull when weight is applied.Secondly, the lower ends of the front support bars are fixed/resteddirectly to the ground making the structure less likely to tip, therebymaking it safer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an existing folding round chair.

FIG. 2 provides a diagram of the folding chair frame according to atleast one aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 3 provides a side-view of the folding chair frame.

FIG. 4 shows the folding chair frame fitted with a chair hoop.

FIG. 5 shows the folding chair frame with an open chair hoop.

FIG. 6 shows the folding chair with armrest functionality.

FIG. 7 shows a broken down folding chair frame with armrestfunctionality.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings. Namely, in the drawings the followingreference numbers refer to the following part:

-   1-chair hoop-   2-fabric seat-   3-front support bar-   4-rear support bar-   41-bar-   5-slide housing-   6-slide stop-   7-diagonal bar-   8-horizontal bar assembly-   81-short U-shaped bar-   811-curved section-   82-horizontal bar-   83-protective sheath-   831-bar casing

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the folding chair frame includes a pairof symmetrical or corresponding front support bars (3), rear supportbars (4) and diagonal bars (7). The diagonal bars (7) are hinged ontothe upper ends of the front and rear support bars (3 & 4). The hingedportion of the front support bar (3) has a slide housing (5), and therear support bar (4) passes through this housing (5) forming anoperational hinge structure composed of the front and rear support bars(3 & 4). A slide stop (6) is positioned atop the rear support bars (4).When the chair is unfolded in the open position, the slide housing (5)presses against the slide stop (6), forming a triangular support. Eachof the two front support bars (3) are independent bars, with the bottomends affixed to the ground, providing stability. On the slide housinghinged area of the bars, there is a diagonal bar assembly (8) positionedto provide extra reinforcement.

The horizontal bar assembly (8) is constructed in the following manner:

-   -   1. As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal bar assembly includes a        short U-shaped bar (81). Leveraging the curved section (811) of        the two ends of the short U-shaped bar (81) allows it to stay        close to the front support bars (3), and it is formed into a        fixed structure by means of rivets. This allows the structure to        have the best position and provides protection and strength to        the slide housing hinged area. The horizontal bar assembly could        also be riveted onto the inner sides of the front support bars        (3) with similar results and it would also not take up as much        space.    -   2. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the horizontal bar assembly        (8) includes the horizontal bar (82) and the protective sheath        (83). The vertical convex portion of the protective sheath (83)        has a bar casing (831). The protective sheath (83) is positioned        on the front support bars (3), and the two ends of the        horizontal bar (82) are inserted into the bar casings (831) of        the sheath on the both sides. The horizontal bar assembly        thereby provides both a protective and reinforcing function in        the hinged area where the protective sheath (83) and front        support bars (3) are co-located.

The two rear support bars (4) are preferably constructed in thefollowing manner:

-   -   1. As shown in FIG. 2, by one single bar curved into a U-shaped        bar;    -   2. Independent bars that are formed by soldering two ends of a        single bar (41) to the rear support bars (4), thereby connecting        into an integrated structure; or    -   3. Independent bars that are formed by riveting the two curved        sections of the short U-shaped bars to the support bars, thereby        connecting into an integrated structure, similar to how the        front support bar (3) is connected to the short U-shaped bar        (81).

Additionally, the diagonal bars (7) may be constructed in a differentmanner, and the uses are different. One use is to support the chair hoop(1); the other use is to be riveted together with the chair hoop (1),which provides armrest functionality. Specifics are as follows:

Firstly, as per FIG. 3, the diagonal bars (7) are positioned at an angleof approximately 30-45 degrees; each of these diagonal bars (7) areriveted onto the seat hoop (1), onto which the seat fabric is attached,thereby creating the frame shown in FIG. 4.

Furthermore, the aforementioned chair hoop (1) can be a closedstructure, as shown in FIG. 4, but can also be an open structure withthe front portion having a break/opening near the hinged points of thediagonal bars, as shown in FIG. 5. With regard to the open option of thechair hoop (1), while there is the negative factor of requiring morefabric on the front portion, there is also the benefit having lesspressure placed on the legs of the seated user.

The aforementioned chair hoop (1) can be constructed from a shapeselected from the following shapes: circle, oval, rectangle, triangle,pentagon, hexagon, octagon, trapezoid, gourd, and oblong shapes.

Secondly, as shown in FIG. 6, the diagonal bars (7) are constructed in awave form shape that starts low in the front and rises to the rear. Thediagonal bars are then riveted onto the chair hoop (1) with thewave-shaped portion serving as an armrest, as shown in FIG. 7, therebycreating a chair frame with armrest functionality.

The chair hoop (1) breaks/opens near the hinged areas of the diagonalbars. The chair hoop can be constructed from a shape selected from thefollowing shapes: circle, oval, rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon,octagon, trapezoid, and gourd, and oblong shapes.

A summary of the aspects of this invention is as follows: A type offolding chair composed of two front support bars formed independently,which are connected to a horizontal bar assembly to support the hingedareas of the front and rear support bars and provide protection to thefront support bars, and also provide support to the chair as both frontsupport bars are fixed to the ground. This chair can also accommodate avariety of rear support bar structures, as well as seat shapes, toprovide different options for the overall folding chair structure.

I claim:
 1. A foldable chair frame, including the following: Twosymmetrical or corresponding front and rear support bars, the upper endsof which are hinged onto two diagonal bars; The aforementioned frontsupport bar hinge has a slide housing; The aforementioned rear supportbar passes through this slide housing, thereby creating an operationalhinge utilizing both the front and rear support bars; A slide stop isfastened onto the upper portion of the rear support bar. When the chairis unfolded into the open position, the slide housing compresses againstthe slide stop; wherein the front support bars on both sides of theframe are independent bars; and Each front support bar is hinged with aslide housing on the upper ends, and the horizontal bar assembly ispositioned to strengthen the support bars on both sides.
 2. The foldablechair frame of claim 1, wherein: The horizontal bar assembly includes ashort U-shaped bar and a curved section that connects to the two ends ofthe short U-shaped bar and is affixed firmly to the front support barsand is secured firmly to the structure with rivets; and The horizontalbar assembly also consists of the main horizontal bar and a protectivesheath, with the vertical convex portion of the sheath being fitted witha bar casing; the protective sheath is positioned on the front supportbars, and each end of the horizontal bars are inserted into the barcasings of the sheaths on each side, thus forming a connected structure.3. The foldable chair frame of claim 2, wherein the two curved sectionsof the short U-shaped bars affix closely to the front or inner sides ofthe front support bars on both sides, and are riveted together.
 4. Thefoldable chair frame of claim 1, wherein the rear support bars areconstructed in the following manner by one single bar curved into aU-shaped bar.
 5. The foldable chair frame of claim 1, whereinIndependent bars are formed by soldering two ends of a single bar to therear support bars, thereby connecting into an integrated structure. 6.The foldable chair frame of claim 1, wherein Independent bars are formedby riveting the two curved sections of the short U-shaped bars to thesupport bars, thereby connecting into an integrated structure.
 7. Thefoldable chair frame of claim 1, wherein The diagonal bars arepositioned at an angle of approximately 30-45 degrees; each of thesediagonal bars are riveted onto the seat hoop, on which the seat fabricis attached.
 8. The foldable chair frame of claim 7, wherein The chairhoop can either be a closed structure or an open structure that opensnear the hinged areas of the diagonal bars
 9. The foldable chair frameof claim 8, wherein the chair hoop is selected from one of the followingshapes: circle, oval, rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon,trapezoid, gourd, and oblong shapes.
 10. The foldable chair frame ofclaim 1, wherein The diagonal bars are constructed in a wave form shapethat starts low in the front and rises to the rear and The diagonal barsare riveted onto the chair hoop, with the wave-shaped portion serving anarmrest.
 11. The foldable chair frame of claim 10, wherein the frontportion of the aforementioned chair hoop has an opening near the hingedareas of the diagonal bars, forming an open structure.
 12. The foldablechair frame of claim 11, wherein The chair hoop can be constructed in ashape selected from one of the following shapes: circle, oval,rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, trapezoid, gourd, andoblong shapes.